Bluffton considering public parking lots in historic district

With more businesses, restaurants and shops in Old Town Bluffton come more people. And now Town Council hopes to add public parking lots in the future to accommodate extra visitors to the historic district.

Town staff presented to council on Tuesday amendments to the town’s unified development ordinance that would permit public parking lots in parts of Old Town. The ordinance currently does not permit public parking as a standalone use, assistant director of growth management Shawn Leininger said.

“If you have a restaurant or an office in Old Town, you’re allowed to have a parking lot as an accessory to your business,” Leininger told council, “but the (ordinance) doesn’t specifically list public parking as an allowed use on property. You asked us at your (Jan. 14) meeting to look at changing that, and it’s staff’s recommendation that public parking lots be allowed as a conditionally permitted use.”

Under the proposal, public lots — either town-owned or privately-owned, but open to the public — would be allowed in two districts of Old Town: Neighborhood Center and Neighborhood Core.

“Neighborhood Center would be everything along Calhoun and Boundary streets and properties off to the immediate side and everything in between those areas,” Leininger said. “Neighborhood Core would be the Promenade and everything off S.C. 46, as well as Goethe Road, Thomas Heyward Street and those areas around where Dollar General is.”

But for public lots to be allowed in those areas, Leininger said, certain conditions would have to be met.

The lots would have to satisfy all landscaping, layout, tree conservation, buffer, storm water and other parking lot requirements already in place. Additional street and adjacent property buffering requirements would also be included to make sure a lot fits in with the historic context of Old Town.

Pedestrian amenities, such as benches, landscaping sculptures, public art, lighting, trellises or arbors, would have to be added, and direct access to public sidewalks or pathways also would be required.

“The whole intent of having something like this is to improve pedestrian connectivity,” Leininger said. “We want to allow people to park in a central location and then funnel out from there, so we want to make sure we put these connections in.”

Parking has been a major issue in Old Town over the last year, as an increase in prosperity in the area has led to an increase in traffic. In turn, safety concerns among residents, business owners and pedestrians in the area have grown.

In an attempt to deal with the issue, council approved a short-term parking plan in October that included several changes along Calhoun Street between May River Road and Bridge Street. No-parking zones were painted in front of all mailboxes, driveways and fire hydrants on the road, and a four-way stop was installed at the intersection of Calhoun and Lawrence streets.

A comprehensive study aimed at finding a long-term solution is underway. Town officials have estimated the study will take about six months, but they haven’t provided a date for its completion.

Leininger said when the study is completed, staff will have a better idea of potential properties in the area to house a public parking lot.

“We think we’ve got a couple opportunities out there,” he said.

Because the proposal is an amendment to the ordinance, it will first have to go before the town’s Planning Commission, which Leininger said is scheduled for the commission’s March 26 meeting. It will go before council for first reading April 8 and second reading and public hearing May 13.

Councilman Ted Huffman, who has suggested a public parking lot or garage, welcomed staff’s recommendation.

“We’re all worried about parking, and we’ve got a traffic study going that we’re paying money for,” Huffman said. “If we didn’t allow public parking lots in our code, then they couldn’t be a part of the solution.